


I'd Paint Your Eyes, Captain

by Verlor3n



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Bittersweet?, Cafe owner Levi, Fluff, M/M, Major Character Death is only in the first half, Not Beta Read, Not a lot though, Reincarnation, a bit of angst, a lot of mentioned characters lmao but they're not tagged, dont worry, everyone remembers, mature for levi's potty mouth, painter!eren, they're in the paintings lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:47:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27784726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Verlor3n/pseuds/Verlor3n
Summary: Eek. Heartwarming? Idk this was a vent post lmao. I hope you liked it! It was rushed and it needs a lot of editing, but I'm too lazy hehe.Leave a comment, leave a kudos if you'd like! I'd love to hear from you :)
Relationships: Levi/Eren Yeager
Comments: 10
Kudos: 52





	I'd Paint Your Eyes, Captain

Eren fell back onto the lime green grass of an open field and coughed, wiping warm blood from the corner of his mouth. He laughed, throat bubbling with blood. In a field of steaming titan carcasses and motionless limbs from deceased comrades, 3D Maneuver gear lay to rest after a war deemed undefeatable, Eren lay dying. He felt his consciousness flicker in and out every couple of seconds; he wouldn’t last long. 

“Looks like the suicidal bastard is finally falling asleep, huh?” Levi whispered next to Eren, intertwining his fingers with the latter’s. The two shared a gentle squeeze as they stared up at the endless blue sky, fluffy, white clouds swimming along with ease. Oh, to be a cloud, at the moment, Levi thought. “I’m shocked a dumb brat like you survived this long.”

“Hey, that’s mean,” Eren whined, his voice cracking with each syllable, “I’m not as dumb as I was a couple of years back. Besides, you love this dumb brat and you’re very much glad I didn’t die early.”

Levi hummed, his gaze softening. “I am, I suppose.”

A quiet moment passed between the two dying soldiers, their grip on each other’s hands weakening. The bright blue sky above became not so bright after each slow blink, eyelids growing too heavy for them to bear. Yeah, they wouldn’t last long.

Levi positioned his fist proudly against his heart, doing his best to not be affected by the shallow whimper coming from Eren. “Shut up, brat…”

“Sorry,” Eren muttered, holding back the tears swelling in his eyes. He placed his left hand against his heart as well, his right occupied with Levi’s left. Another quiet moment passed until Eren began to speak again. “It’s just… I didn’t think we’d die right after, you know? After we won.”

“You thought we would have a chance to have a life together, I’m guessing,” Levi put it bluntly, chuckling after Eren’s affirmative grunt. “Me too.”

Levi waited a moment before inhaling, his lungs desperate for their last breath. “You know-”

“What?” Eren interjected.

“-I would probably run a tea shop, if I survived,” Levi finished, frowning at the raspy laugh coming from his partner. Levi lightly kicked Eren’s shin, too weak to muster anything else. Eren laughed harder beside him, the frown on Levi’s face becoming more stern. “Screw you, kid, it’s not that bad.”

“That’s”--Eren took in a deep breath after slowing his laugh, feeling the air catch in his throat. He didn’t like that feeling--“not what I was laughing about, Captain… I can see you owning your own little shop in the middle of nowhere, spending too much time cleaning each individual cup until they sparkled like the stars… Only for you to clean them all a second time, of course.”

“When did you get so damn poetic?” Levi smiled, kicking Eren a second time. “Surprisingly, you’re not far off. I’m not about to serve tea in a dirty ass cup. What would you do, brat? Probably, you’d go and live by the ocean; I know how much you love the gross ass mass of water.”

Eren thought for a moment, his silence worrying Levi. The raven turned his head and looked at Eren who--thank God--was still breathing; he was just thinking too hard. Don’t hurt yourself, Levi thought. After a minute, Eren smiled and laughed, turning his head to look at his captain.

“I’d paint your eyes, Captain,” Eren stated lovingly. “I’d paint them again and again, and even after the next ‘again’, sir.”

Levi clicked his tongue. “You’re sappy.”

“You love my sappiness,” Eren countered.

Levi sighed deeply, closing his tired eyes. 

“I do,” Levi admitted. “I really do.”

“Promise me you’ll find me? If we’re born in a new life; a new world,” Eren begged, biting his lower lip. He, now, couldn’t stop the tears from flowing from his glossy eyes, the once lively teal now slowly becoming more and more… Dull. “Promise me, Levi.”

“Shut up, Eren,” Levi mumbled, his voice barely audible, “of course I’ll find you. I have a suspicion that you’ll rampage around all over again unless I’m there to hold you back.”

The answer seemed to have pleased Eren as the boy didn’t push it any further, instead, opted to look back up at the sky and feel the wind brush its soft fingers through his hair. After a final moment, Eren shut his own eyes, his consciousness fading away with his last thought being how much he loved the man next to him. 

Both their bodies lay still against the ground, hands held proudly against their chests and laced together by their sides. A peaceful, warm, loved way to go, one would say. 

  
  
  
  


Levi woke with tears in his eyes for the umpteenth time in his life; it was the same dream that haunted his mind. He and another man talk together with their last breaths, pondering about what they would do if they survived the war they won moments before. He groaned, throwing his covers to the side, and shuffled over to his bathroom where he splashed cold water onto his face. His eyes were bright red and his nose was runny--disgusting, he thought. 

The alarm next to his bed buzzed annoyingly, “7:45” flashing in bright, neon red. Levi wondered why he hadn’t thrown the damn thing away after so long as he slammed his fist against the snooze button. His phone went off the second after with Hanji’s name displayed above the “answer” button.

“To answer or not to answer,” Levi grumbled, picking up his phone, “that is the question.”

Tapping the green button, he held his phone half a foot away from his ear. He winced at the loud, obnoxious shriek that came through from the other side of the speakers. “How in the goddamn are you so energetic this early in the morning? On a Tuesday, at that, shitty-glasses?”

“Good morning to you, too!” Hanji laughed. “I’m outside of the shop and I forgot my key at the apartment. Mind coming down and opening the door for me so I can start setting up?”

“No.” Levi ended the call before Hanji could start whining, the former knowing damn well they’d make his ears bleed if he didn’t hang up early. 

Even though Levi denied their request, he quickly threw on his black, fuzzy slippers and stomped down his stairs into the main shop. He saw Hanji waiting outside with a wide grin on their face, their breath fogging up the door’s window. He’d have to clean it later.

“Look at you!” Hanji cooed, watching Levi unlock the door for them. “You’re such a sweetie-pie!”

“Shut the hell up and clock in,” Levi grumbled. “I’m going back up to change.”

Hanji mock saluted with a snicker. “Righty-o, grumpy pants!”

Levi shot them a glare before stomping back into his apartment, locking the door shut behind him just in case the mad scientist wanted to invade his privacy. It’s not like it hasn’t happened before.

  
  
  


Walking back down the stairs after changing into a reasonable outfit--not his pajamas--and splashing more cold water onto his face to make sure the redness under his eyes was gone, Levi strolled behind the counter and opened the cash register. He counted yesterday’s profits and hummed in satisfaction; everything was correct. He then took a rag from underneath the countertop, as well as a bottle of pine sol--oh, how much he loved new inventions--and walked back into the main threshold of the shop. Hanji took the chairs down and set them neatly around the wooden tables while Levi was in his room, the raven thanking God that Hanji didn’t try playing Jenga with the furniture. It’s happened once and Levi would probably kill them if it happened a second time. 

“The tea’s almost ready for the day!” Hanji shouted from the back room. “We got Earl Grey, regular Black, Lichee Black, regular Green, Jasmine, Chamomile, Fruit, Oolong, and White!”

Levi muttered a thanks, throwing the used rag over his shoulder. Now his shoulder smelled like Pine-Sol... He hurried to his counter and grabbed a used chalk stick, writing down the list of teas on the wide chalkboard behind him. He smacked the stick down and turned back to face the entryway, hearing the clacking of teapots and kettles behind him in the kitchen. “Hanji, what in God’s name are you doing back there?”

“Pouring you some tea!” Hanji answered, poking their head out from the back doors. “Your eyes looked pretty red earlier and I could only guess it was about-”

“You don’t need to speak any further because if you do, I swear I will shove my foot so far up your anus it will rupture,” Levi threatened the brunette. At this point, Hanji wasn’t affected by Levi’s warnings, but today, they seemed upset. Levi turned away from them. “It’s happened before and it’ll happen in the future. You don’t have to waste today’s line of teas just for some grumpy old man, or so you’ve put it.”

“A grumpy old man who misses the love of his life!” Hanji debated with a scoff, setting down a teacup in front of Levi. They brought out the teapot they were fiddling with moments before and poured their friend a glass. “Have some chamomile to calm yourself. When Erwin gets here, you should go out for a walk or something. There’s a new art gallery showcasing some pretty neat paintings down on 4th. Take a peek.”

“Why would I do that?” Levi scowled.

“For me? And Erwin?” Hanji flashed their best puppy dog eyes at Levi, the latter smacking them upside the head. “Don’t force yourself to work if you’re already having a bad day. It’s a Tuesday so there’s not going to be traffic. Go out and relax for me, please?”

A minute passed by before Levi tossed the used rag and Pine-Sol mix under the counter and groaned, stomping past Hanji and toward the stairs. “I guess I’ll be changing then. I’ll never hear the end of it from you if I don’t. ‘Not in the mood today.”

“Yay!” Hanji pumped their fists into the air triumphantly. “I promise you, you’ll enjoy the gallery! I loved it so much that I had to drag Erwin and Moblit with me.”

“Those poor, unfortunate souls,” Levi whispered under his breath, disappearing into his apartment for the second time that morning. 

Erwin walked into the cafe right as Levi locked his door. He listened to Hanji and Erwin talking amongst themselves in the main shop, Hanji’s loud and squeaky voice carrying all the way onto the second floor. They rambled on about how they successfully got Levi to agree to see the art show, Erwin’s low, regal--is that even a way to describe his voice?--voice too far away for a coherent sentence to be heard. 

“He’ll love it!” Hanji said confidently.

“I’m sure he will,” Erwin agreed.

  
  


Levi walked back downstairs after ridding himself of the Pine-Sol scent on his clothing. He was now wearing something a little more casual rather than his work uniform. Hanji cooed, per usual, before pushing the shorter man over to the front door. Erwin didn’t do anything to help Levi, of course, instead opting to watch his friends bicker.

“Now,” Hanji started, throwing Levi’s coat over his head, “be sure to tell us all about it when you get back. I want to know about everything!”

“Shitty-glasses, you’ve already seen the damn gallery before. Why do you need my input?” Levi kicked Hanji’s shin and put on his coat, rubbing out the wrinkles he noticed before walking to the front door. He looked at their smirk, daring not to push it more. “Okay then, weirdo. I’ll be back. Destroy this place and I am going to rip off your head.”

“I’ll make sure they don’t, Levi,” Erwin promised. “Go have fun.”

With a click of his tongue, Levi left the shop. He didn’t notice the high five Hanji and Erwin shared; maybe he didn’t want to notice, actually. 

  
  


The art gallery--on 4th street, Hanji told him--was a lot bigger than Levi expected. Hanji told him where it was, but they never told him how goddamn popular it was. Dozens of people were wandering about the building, staring at the exhibit with wonderstruck eyes. Levi was going to bail, but decided against it last minute when something caught his attention. To the left of the entry was a massive, ten-by-twelve foot painting. The colors were vibrant and caught anyone’s attention, no matter if they were interested in it or not. The texture of puddles of paint added to the overall image; an image Levi would never forget.

Sitting under a gentle, white spotlight was a scene depicting the sights of Wall Maria right before sundown. Bright oranges, pinks, and yellows blended beautifully with the grey of the wall, white, puffy clouds spread around with perfect perspective spacing. Shiganshina was painted as an afterthought beyond the wall, the sunset carrying all the dedication from the artist. 

Now, Levi was intrigued. Who painted the picture? Did they remember their past? Was it someone Levi knew? 

Question after question popped into Levi’s head as he wandered further into the exhibit, inspecting each painting as big as the first. They were all similar, at first, scenes of sunsets or sunrises on Wall Maria; whoever painted the memories clearly had a love for Wall Maria. Deeper into the exhibit, however, was no longer sunsets and sunrises. Instead, many were larger, fifteen-by-twenty foot paintings rather than the ten-by-twelve used near the entry. The fifteen-by-twenty canvases were used to paint the insignias Levi remembered so vividly, the added detail and drama bringing back memories Levi didn’t necessarily want back. 

In a row, the Military Police, Stationary Guard, and Scouting Legion insignias hung beautifully under a similar spotlight as the first painting Levi had seen. Tan outlined the patches, matching the same color of the uniforms soldiers used many years ago. 

The next section of the exhibit was a section full of profiles, but not face forward profiles, no. Instead, to keep the identities secret, the depicted men and women were looking away, off into the endless distance of their canvas. Levi recognized everyone immediately. Some soldiers were standing alone while some were in groups. Levi’s old squadron was the first group painted, Petra’s blazing red hair popping out amongst the brunettes. Oluo’s light brown hair was the next to attract the eyes, Eld’s blond hair and Gunther’s brown hair the last two to stick out. Levi, however, paused. In the group painting, he was nowhere to be seen. He wondered if he’d be further down the line somewhere. 

Following Levi's old squad was his newer one--well, not exactly, but the squad that replaced his old friends after a certain incident that Levi stored away in the back of his mind. He remembered each of the brats’ names, recognizing their frames and hairstyles. 

Connie and Sasha were clinging to each other and laughing, based on the slight turn of Sasha’s head to reveal her smile. Jean was standing next to Historia as they talked for eternity. Mikasa, Armin, and… A specific soldier weren’t depicted in the painting, however, and Levi had an underlying feeling as to why. 

Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie--the three shifters from the 104th training corps squad--were painted together. They faced away from the crowd like the other profiles. Not as much time was taken to paint the three soldiers, Levi gathered. They didn’t look as detailed as the previous two works, but this one was still beautiful nonetheless.

Moving on, Levi looked at the other paintings. They were mostly individual paintings of people Levi didn’t necessarily remember until he moved past to the last section of paintings. Hanji and Erwin stood alone in their own paintings, both their heads turned away, but not enough to hide their smiles. Levi found where Mikasa and Armin went from the other painting, the two teenagers saluting to an unknown figure covered by their bodies. Both stood proud, their salutes strong. Levi couldn’t help the smile on his face. 

Nearing the end where many onlookers stood, were two paintings. One was a portrait while the other was a set of eyes. Levi pushed past the crowd and looked up at the artworks, feeling his body become stiff after realizing what they were. 

To the left, nearest to the wall was Levi himself, standing facing away like the many other portraits were. He wore his cape confidently on his back, 3D Maneuver gear barely visible behind the green cloth. The eyes were of his own to the right of his portrait, beautiful, sparkling, silver paint used to enhance the overall appeal of the image. His eyes looked as sharp as they were now, the dark circles that have finally disappeared over time visible just below the frame. Levi laughed; he looked like shit back then. 

Underneath the painting was a label that the others didn’t have. The previous works of art only had the kind of materials used, while this last one was an actual title. Levi bent down to read the small print, his mouth drawing in a straight line as he stood up straight. He felt his eyes water as he stepped back to look up at the painting a second time.

“I’d paint your eyes, Captain,” someone said aloud, stepping out from behind Levi and stopped at his side. Levi didn’t have to look over at the speaker to know who he was, a soft, loving smile forming on the raven’s mouth. “I told you I would do it.”

“Of course you did, Eren,” Levi snorted, feeling Eren wrap his hand around his lover’s. “You’re so damn stubborn. I’m going to bet that you begged your mother over and over again to get you painting supplies when you were old enough to speak.”

“Pretty much,” Eren laughed, squeezing Levi’s hand. “Your hand isn’t cold.”

“Nor is yours.” Levi returned the gesture. 

**Author's Note:**

> Eek. Heartwarming? Idk this was a vent post lmao. I hope you liked it! It was rushed and it needs a lot of editing, but I'm too lazy hehe. 
> 
> Leave a comment, leave a kudos if you'd like! I'd love to hear from you :)


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